Staten Island Ferry Hits The Pier Again Leaving Lawyers Wondering How It Could Happen Again, So Soon.

Staten Island Ferry Hits The Pier Again Leaving Lawyers Wondering How It Could Happen Again, So Soon.

Posted on Jul 6, 2009 12:00am PDT

New York, New York – July 6, 2009 – A Staten Island ferry boat
packed with about 800 rush-hour commuters slammed into a pier while docking
on July 1. Approximately 14 people were left with minor injuries. There
was some damage to the dock, but the vessel did not suffer any damage,
reports the
New York Post.

“When I heard the story, the first image that came to my mind was
the horrible ferry accident that killed eleven in 2003,” says New
York personal injury lawyer David Perecman. “I was relieved to hear
that there were only minor physical injuries reported this time.”

About 750 people were evacuated from the boat.

According to the fire department, it appears that the boat abruptly lost
power before hitting the Staten Island dock at full speed.

The ferry terminal, the St. George Terminal, was the same site of the 2003
ferry crash, one of the city’s worst mass-transit disasters. Eleven
people were killed when a ferryboat crashed into a maintenance pier at
full speed after the vessel’s pilot blacked out while on painkiller
medication. Scores more were injured. About 1,500 people were aboard at the time.

New York personal injury lawyers are quick to note that the last accident prompted a flurry of passenger
lawsuits against the city, which owns and operates the ferry sersvice.
These personal injury lawsuits resulted in payment of close to $83 million
to settle the more than 130 suits.

“The law does allow all those on the ferry who suffered emotional
distress to file for compensation, even if they did not suffer any physical
injuries,” explains Perecman, who has over 25 years experience in
Staten Island as a New York personal injury lawyer.